Officiating a Chelsea game was always going to be a trying experience, but Moss dealt with Saturday’s tempestuous proceedings admirably.

Though he had the help of goal-line technology for the first big call of the game, the decisions to rule Cesc Fabregas’ goal offside and send Nemanja Matic off were spot-on from a ref that isn’t afraid of rising to the challenge. He proceeded to book a couple of Chelsea players for dissent following the red card, a move that will be widely applauded. The practice of haranguing the referee when a decision goes against you should not be condoned, and Moss showed that he was unwilling to be bullied.

Considering Moss got all the big decisions right, it was almost with a sense of satisfaction that we saw both Mourinho and his assistant sent to the stands. Weak and naïve Moss is not.

Grade: A. Moss gave one of the most impressive refereeing performances of the season so far

Mason ignores Deulofeu dive

Ref: Lee Mason

While Arsenal’s clash with Everton was a relatively good-tempered affair, an incident just before the end of the first half coloured Mason’s refereeing performance somewhat. Gerard Deulofeu, Everton’s promising young forward, fell dramatically under the challenge of Arsenal’s Nacho Monreal. While Mason did acknowledge that it was not a foul, he waved play on, enraging the home crowd.

It was an unfortunate moment in an otherwise solid performance, making Mason appear weak-willed in the face of what was a fairly obvious dive. A yellow card would have sent a message, one that the Premier League could well have done with.

A late red card for Gareth Barry, after a blatantly cynical and dangerous tackle, went some way to helping Mason’s case, but many will be left scratching their heads at his earlier decision.

Grade: B. Deulofeu’s dive was a missed opportunity for Mason

McClaren blasts Madley

Ref: Robert Madley

The Tyne-Wear derby was always going to be a feisty affair, and it took just two minutes for the game to be turned completely on its head. Sunderland’s second-half smash-and-grab was fuelled for the most part by Fabricio Coloccini’s sending off after barging into Fletcher in the box. Though it was hard to argue against Madley’s awarding of a penalty, a red card was uncalled for, as the goalkeeper was always going to get to the ball first.

While Steve McClaren’s after-match outburst that Madley had cost his Newcastle side the game may have been slightly harsh, Madley did appear to jump into the decision without consulting the linesman. A rookie error if ever there was one.

Grade: C. Madley was right to give the penalty, but sending Coloccini off was the wrong call

Dean in no mood to placate Palace

Ref: Mike Dean

In sharp contrast to Mason’s static performance, Dean chose to act when Wilfried Zaha threw himself to the ground in Leicester’s box. Though there was the barest hint of raised leg from Leicester’s defender, Dean saw through Zaha’s dramatics to yellow card the young Englishman.

The incident was overshadowed though, as Dean and his officials missed a fairly obvious handball by Max Fuchs in the late stages of the game. Though Ian Wright tried to plead his case on Match of the Day, it was obvious that Fuchs’ arm had been in an unnatural position as the ball hit it, and Dean should have whistled for a penalty.